Going Home
by csiAngel
Summary: I present a meeting of the past and the future… chapters 12 and 13 up now! Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Going Home

Rating: well, it's K right now – might change in future chapters

Summary: I present a meeting of the past and the future… anything else would give it all away so that's all you're getting ;-)

Disclaimer: CSI stuff is not mine, this story idea might be… I apologise if it isn't!

Season/Spoilers: Okay, everything happens as it happened up until, and including, the end of Weeping Willows and then it goes AU, so the last few eps of season five didn't happen. All will explain itself eventually.

A/N: Just a little introductory chapter, more to follow soon (muse permitting!)

Chapter One

There was quite a buzz around the crime lab as it prepared for the return of one of its most famous past employees.

Okay, so there was no red carpet, no balloons, no banners. It wasn't so much the lab preparing to welcome him back, but rather it was a mental preparation within each of the staff.

Whilst people had left, and new people started, in the seven years since his departure, every one had heard of Gil Grissom. They knew of his talents; of his entomological expertise; of the fact that, if people were honest, it was he who had got the Vegas crime lab to number two in country. What they didn't know, however, is why he had left. It seemed sudden, and unexplained, and the entire thing was shrouded in mystery. Three teams of CSIs, and they hadn't managed to figure it out.

There was, however, one person who had drawn her own conclusions about why he left, and, to this day, still blamed herself. Despite the assurances he had given her that his relocation was to do with his mother, she couldn't help but feel that she was partly responsible. It all seemed too coincidental.

Now, the woman in question, was pacing her office, forcing herself to take deep, regular breaths and mentally rehearsing her first meeting with a man who used to be closer to her than any other man had ever been allowed. Theirs had never been a physical relationship; it had never been anything more than a friendship – except, maybe, once or twice, in her head; yet he had known more about her, and understood her more, than anyone else – including her husband. It was the ultimate breakdown of the trust and unspoken communication between them that she believed had driven him to move back to California.

There had been a couple of phone calls in the first year, but they had been drifting apart before he left, and the distance between them just grew when it actually became geographical. But, with work and her daughter, life went on. And, clearly, it did the same for him – as he was now head of his crime lab – an interesting career move for someone who was never very politic; but, as he told her, with a laugh, on the phone two days ago, a necessary step when your knees can't take all the crouching and outdoor work anymore - and he has a team of assistants to keep him in check.

She had laughed with him, fully understanding his need for assistance, and wishing that she had as much help as he seemed to. Just into her sixth week as Assistant Director she had already had to deal with cross-contamination in the DNA lab; a lost piece of evidence in a missing person case; a high profile attempted rape; and the resignation of two CSIs (their resignations had been handed to – and likely caused by - Conrad Ecklie before he was promoted – she had to deal with their actual departure).

She had been quite surprised when Ecklie had offered her the position as Assistant Director. It had taken her weeks to convince him to transfer her to the post of day shift supervisor when that had become vacant, and that was when she had been doing the job on the swing shift for two years. She had always thought he still didn't trust her in that role, and that he was constantly waiting for her to fail; just looking for an opportunity to demote her. So, promotion came as quite a shock. Evidently Ecklie had softened in his regard for her.

If you asked other members of the lab, they would tell you that Ecklie had always had a soft spot for her. In fact, seven years ago, there were rumours that the feelings were returned, and that their relationship was not strictly professional. One rumour even went so far as to imply that this was the reason why Grissom left. None of it was ever confirmed – nor denied. Of course, it was never mentioned in earshot of the people it involved.

The phone rang, and Catherine Willows stopped in her well-worn path and eyed the incessant device nervously. After its fifth ring, she hit the loudspeaker button.

"Yes?" she asked, politely.

"Dr Grissom has arrived. Julia's bringing him here now," her assistant told her.

"Thanks, Nat," she smiled, before shutting off the call.

She straightened her jacket and skirt, and fiddled a little with her hair – then asked herself why she was so nervous. They had spoken two days ago, for the first time in six years, and it hadn't been awkward. It had almost been as if the seven years had not passed. Almost. And that was why she was nervous. You can never go back to your past…

But now her past was coming back to her.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

His hair was slightly more grey and he appeared to have lost a little weight, but it was the same Gil Grissom-stance; the same Gil Grissom-sparkle in his eyes; and the same Gil Grissom-leather jacket, that greeted her when she opened her office door.

She had often wondered what it would be like to see him again, and even after their rather comfortable conversations a few days ago, she had always expected there to be more anger than this.

She stepped towards him, unable to stop the smile that was spreading across her lips.

It faltered, however, and she stopped about two feet away from him, when she realised that, in all her anxious preparations, she had not considered whether a handshake, or a hug, would be the appropriate greeting.

The decision was made for her though when Grissom crossed the space between them and his arms encircled her, pulling her closer to him.

She returned the hug, feeling like mere days had passed since she was last in his embrace, and not the seven years that had in fact been since she hugged him goodbye.

They stepped apart, and she smiled up at him.

"It's good to see you again," she said.

Grissom nodded once, agreeing with her sentiment, then said: "You look good."

Her cheeks flushed a little and one eyebrow quirked at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you… And thanks for coming, Grissom, I –"

"Catherine, please call me Gil. 'Grissom' from an Assistant Director reminds me of – "

"Grissom!"

The exclamation came from the doorway in a familiar, weasely voice.

Catherine smirked as Grissom rolled his eyes before turning to face the latest visitor.

"Ecklie," he said, "I hear congratulations are in order."

The Director's eyes narrowed briefly as if he was trying to assess whether or not Grissom was being genuine. Then they returned to normal again as if he decided it didn't matter.

"Thank you," he said, smiling the smile you saw from him every single time the man was speaking to anyone who had ever implied that Ecklie had no right to be in charge of the lab. Smug. Proud. And gloating. "And I guess I can return those congratulations," he added, his smile actually slipping towards genuine.

Catherine smiled as she watched Grissom's eyes widen in surprise.

"Thank you, Conrad," he said.

Then Catherine watched, amused, as both men stood in silence, eyes flitting around the room, fingers twitching occasionally, neither knowing what to say next.

Eventually she giggled to herself, shaking her head, and stepped towards them.

"Conrad, was there something you needed?" she asked, smiling pleasantly.

His response was immediate, clearly glad of the escape. "I just stopped by to confirm our plans for this evening," he said. "Seven o'clock?"

Catherine nodded. "Seven o'clock."

He confirmed this with his own nod, missing Grissom's intrigued frown.

"I'll see you later then." Ecklie said to Catherine. Then he turned back to Grissom. "Gil, thank you for coming. No doubt I'll see you again before you leave."

Grissom nodded and then Ecklie was gone.

"Well, that was quite a reunion," Catherine chuckled, as she walked over to her desk and picked up a file.

"We never did have much to say to each other," Grissom commented, turning to face her as she moved.

Catherine smirked. "Well, now you're rivals again… That should provide some conversational material."

Grissom gave her the best 'unamused' look he could muster, given that he was amused, and Catherine giggled a little more, before flicking her head in the direction of the doorway.

"I guess I should take you to the bugs," she said.

"I guess that is what I'm here for," he replied with a shrug and a small smile, and he followed her out of the office.

-----

Grissom frowned as he looked at the information Catherine had given to him, then he turned to her and frowned again.

Catherine nodded. "It puzzled our resident Gil Grissom wannabe too."

At this his frown deepened so much that his eyes almost closed, causing Catherine to laugh once again.

"Jacob Norman," she explained, "CSI on days, studying entomology at night school… We tease him that he's aspiring to be like you. He denies it of course," she grinned, then she turned, entering the layout room.

Grissom's next words were quiet, probably not intended for her to hear, but she did, and they stirred within her a mixture of sympathy, hurt and anger.

"At least I wasn't completely forgotten."

She was tempted to stop in her tracks, but knew that would let him know that she had heard him, so instead she continued to the table; where a dark-haired, young man was sitting, wearing a lab coat, and gloves, and surrounded by photographs of a body, and plastic pots containing various creatures.

Now wasn't the time to dig up the past. After all, he would only be here for a few days. Was it necessary to bring it up at all?

Suppressing everything she had found that she wanted to say to him, she put on a smile and made the introductions.

"Gil Grissom, Jacob Norman… Jacob will be able to show you anything you need to see… And hopefully assist you in figuring out why the hell all these bugs were on our vic… I have some work to do, so I'll leave you two bugmen to it."

Grissom was already examining the pots, and sifting through the photographs, and Catherine wondered if he'd even been listening to her.

Jacob appeared awestruck, and for a second Catherine worried that the younger man wouldn't be able to find the power to speak to his idol. But then Grissom asked him a question about one of the pictures, and the two were soon deep in conversation.

Catherine stepped towards the door, and when she thought they would no longer notice she was there, stopped and observed for a few minutes.

Grissom looked so at home. He took off his jacket, exchanging it for a lab coat, and sat down beside Jacob, bombarding him with questions regarding how all the photographs were connected, and exactly where each bug had been found. His eyes sparkled with excited interest, the same way they did all those years ago. It was as if he had never left.

But her heart reminded her that he had.

She smiled sadly, watched him for a second longer, then turned away, stepping back into the corridor. She stopped, though, when he called her name.

Turning back, she found that he was standing right in front of her, and she let out a quiet, startled gasp.

"Sorry," he said, smiling. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She shook it off. "It's okay…"

"Will you have dinner with me?" he asked.

Catherine stayed silent, subconsciously choosing to respond to him with only a look of surprise, and puzzlement. It took her a few seconds to realise that she hadn't actually spoken.

"Er… Yeah… Er… Sure. Of course… But, er, tonight's not good for me… I'm free tomorrow?"

Grissom nodded. "Tomorrow is fine… I'll come by your office to finalise the arrangements."

He smiled once, then he returned to the table, leaving Catherine smiling, yet with a furrowed brow, confused by the mixture of feelings coming from him, and from herself. One minute she was angry at him for leaving, the next she felt as if he'd never been away, and the next, she missed him.

And it was the missing him that confused her the most. In the years since he left, she had never admitted to herself that she missed him. Until now – when he was right there in front of her.

It was going to be an interesting few days.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Catherine waved to Ecklie as his car pulled away from her house, then she opened the door and quickly stepped inside, ready to deactivate the house alarm.

She frowned when she noticed the absence of the beeping of the countdown, but her momentary panic was relieved when she saw a note, written in familiar handwriting, stuck to the front of the panel.

'Mom, don't worry. It's just me.'

Catherine removed the paper and moved through to the lounge, as her daughter's voice called 'Hey' to her from that direction.

"Hey, yourself," she replied, dropping down beside her on the sofa, and embracing her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching TV," Lindsey replied with a grin.

"Oh… That's funny," Catherine said, sarcastically, tickling Lindsey's sides a little before pulling back. "You're on the wrong side of the country, Linds."

Lindsey shrugged. "I had some study time. Thought I'd come visit my old Mom."

"Hey! Less of the old…. So there's nothing wrong?"

Lindsey smiled reassuringly. "Nothing's wrong. I just fancied a visit…. So, why weren't you here when I arrived, eh? You're very dressed up."

"Well, I didn't know you were coming… And I was at dinner with Ecklie – "

Lindsey's eyebrows raised. "Again?"

Catherine offered her a pointed look and added: "This was lab stuff!" emphatically, before she let her head fall back heavily against the seat cushion.

Lindsey smiled sympathetically, placing her head beside Catherine's. "Tired?"

Catherine nodded. "It's been a …" She paused as her mind ran over the day she had had – mainly just the parts that included Grissom. "… strange day."

"Wanna talk about it?" Lindsey asked, concerned.

Catherine shook her head. "Not tonight… Tonight… I just want to sleep. I'm sorry, honey."

"Hey, don't be… You didn't know I was coming. I can't expect you to drop everything and… forgo sleep," Lindsey smiled.

"Thanks sweetie…" Catherine hugged Lindsey once more and then stood up. "I've got quite a busy day tomorrow, but we can do dinner -" She stopped mid-sentence, her cringe showing that she had briefly forgotten her plans.

"Plans with Ecklie again?" Lindsey smirked.

Catherine glared at her, playfully, then sighed, tiredly. "No… With Grissom."

Lindsey's eyes widened, and all trace of humour disappeared from her features. "Gil Grissom?" she asked, her tone now serious, matching her expression.

Catherine had expected that reaction and tried to disperse the solemn air that was descending on the room. "Yeah… He's helping us with a case. He's just here for a few days," she explained, her overly-light tone showing Lindsey that things really weren't that simple.

"Mom – "

"I'd reschedule but … we do need to talk about the case – "

"Mom – "

"And he's only here for a few – "

"Mom!" Lindsey raised her voice this time, finally managing to interrupt Catherine's justifications. "I don't expect you to change your plans… There are places I can go, people I can see… Go to dinner… But – if you decide you need an excuse to pull out – feel free to use me," she smiled.

Catherine nodded. "I won't - … I should - …"

"Do whatever feels right, Mom…" Lindsey stood up and wrapped her arms around Catherine. "I think I'll go to bed too," she continued, as she stepped away. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm just over-tired. It's been a long day." She drew out 'long', making it onomatopoeic.

Lindsey nodded understandingly. "Get some sleep… I'll make you breakfast in the morning."

Catherine laughed. "You'd better be careful, doing things like that. I might not let you leave."

The two women hugged again, then Catherine told Lindsey to go ahead to bed while she locked up.

Standing alone in the middle of her lounge, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, Lindsey's words flashing through her mind.

"Do whatever feels right."

Dinner with Grissom. Gil. Dinner with Gil. They hadn't seen each other for seven years; it was an opportunity to catch up; they did need to discuss the case. Dinner with Gil did feel right.

So why was she so nervous?

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Grissom didn't even need to ask this time. The instant he stepped into the office Natasha smiled to him and said:

"She's in. I'll let her know you're here."

It was the fourth time today that he had been to Catherine's office to speak to her about their dinner plans. The other three times she had been unavailable. Twice in meetings and the third time she was out to lunch. That this 'lunch' was taking place at three o'clock in the afternoon had planted a seed of concern in his mind; that perhaps she was avoiding him.

He had convinced himself that if he was given another excuse this time, he would leave a message saying that something had come up, and asking if it would be okay if they rescheduled. Although, he was pretty certain that the dinner wouldn't take place if it came to that. Because she clearly didn't want it to happen.

He supposed that the fact that she was here now was a good sign then, and that things between them weren't beyond repair. He knew that six years was a long time to be apart, without any contact, but when his secretary had informed him that there was a Catherine Willows on the phone for him that had sparked a glimmer of hope; and, when their conversation had progressed quite smoothly, and as if there had not been such a great passage of time, his hope to re-establish their friendship had grown. Taking her out to dinner; talking to her in person, away from work; making up for lost time, was the first step.

Natasha interrupted his thoughts to tell him that he could proceed into Catherine's office, so he thanked her and moved towards the door that connected the two offices. He knocked twice in quick succession and then entered at her bidding.

She smiled her amused-smile as he stepped inside, and said: "I'd already said you could come through, you didn't need to knock."

He shrugged. "Wanted to make sure it wasn't just Natasha playing tricks on me… Trying to get me to walk in here while you were busy."

Catherine's eyebrows raised. "So, you're on first name terms with my assistant already?" she smirked.

Grissom nodded. "Oh, we've seen a lot of each other recently."

Catherine laughed a little then replied, more seriously: "Yeah, she told me you came by earlier. I'm sorry I wasn't here. It's been a crazy day. Meeting after meeting, and then Lindsey stopped by to take me to a very late lunch. She could obviously sense that I hadn't eaten."

"How is Lindsey?" he asked.

Catherine's face still lit up at the mention of her daughter. "She's good… She surprised me last night – " She stopped suddenly, and waved to the seat opposite her. "Gil, sit down. I'm sorry… I guess I just expected you to make yourself at home." She smiled as she spoke, but it started to falter – obviously as her choice of words sunk in.

Grissom realised what had caused her change in spirit, clearly she wasn't as comfortable around him as she had seemed. Their dinner now took on greater importance.

He smiled as he sat down in the offered chair, choosing to return to a subject she had been more comfortable with, rather than let the tension grow. "You were saying Lindsey surprised you?" he prompted.

She looked confused for a second, before realising what he was referring to and picking up where she had left off. "Oh, yeah. She was there when I got home last night… She's at university in New York, so I wasn't expecting her."

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh… Yeah, everything's fine. She just had some free time, and thought she'd come visit… Not particularly well timed – coinciding with the busiest week of my life," she laughed, but he sensed she was only partly jesting.

"We can reschedule our plans if you'd like to spend time with Lindsey – " Grissom offered.

"No… No, no. There's no need. She said she has places to go; people to see… So we're still on for dinner… That is if you still want to go?"

Grissom smiled. "Of course I do…. Where would you like to go?"

Catherine gave a small shrug. "I don't mind really… Oh, just as long as it's not Battista's. That's Ecklie's favourite place, and I have been there so many times recently…" she trailed off, shaking her head and chuckling to herself.

Grissom felt a familiar tension in his chest when she mentioned having dinner with Ecklie. He had felt the same thing the day before when she and Ecklie had been confirming their plans for that evening. He briefly wondered what it was about their friendship that bothered him – momentarily wondering if it went beyond friendship – before he shook it off and focussed on the fact that tonight, she would be going out with him.

"Well, I'll see what I can come up with," he told her. "Do you want to make it a late dinner, as you had a late lunch?"

Catherine seemed to consider this for a moment then she nodded, looking as if it served not only to reply to his question, but also to convince herself that this was what she wanted to do. "Sure… Okay… So, about nine?"

Grissom nodded. "Okay… Shall I pick you up at eight-thirty?"

An almost shy smile spread across her lips. "That would be great."

Grissom returned the smile. Hopefully, it would be.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

For disclaimer and notes and all the other stuff, please see chapter one :-)

Additional A/N: Sorry it took so long. Here's chapter five. Chapter six to follow shortly. Thank you to Gomey for reading through part of this for me, and assuring me that it isn't complete rubbish :-)

Chapter 5

Catherine stood at the open wardrobe and considered the selection of clothes before her. She had been here for almost ten minutes and had, so far, not made any progress at all towards making a decision on what to wear.

Lindsey's voice startled her and she turned to face her daughter, who was leaning against the doorframe.

"Is this a date?" she had asked, voice deadly serious.

"No!" Catherine replied, perhaps a little too emphatically.

"Then does it matter what you wear?" Lindsey offered, rhetorically, before walking away.

Catherine frowned, her mind screaming 'Yes!'. She stared at the now empty doorway for a few seconds longer, pondering Lindsey's words, then she turned back to the wardrobe.

----

"… And then Greg turns round and Ecklie is standing behind him, dripping wet, and holding the bucket, and he says: 'If I were to dust this for prints, Sanders, would I find yours?'"

Catherine laughed as she finished her story, and, at the image of Greg's backfired practical joke, and Ecklie soaked to the skin, Grissom couldn't help but laugh with her.

"I can just imagine his face," he said.

"Oh, it was a picture," Catherine responded, as she tried to calm her laughter, and used her napkin to dry her eyes. "And Greg's face was a picture when Warrick was gloating to him about the failed prank… Needless to say, he soon found his new office rigged with several more booby traps."

Grissom smiled. "Warrick in my old office?… I always knew he could do it."

Catherine smiled fondly. "He's doing well… Of course we butt heads every now and again… Even more so since my promotion… But, you know, I've got to keep him on his toes."

Grissom's smile widened and he realised that it had not left his face since earlier that evening when he had picked Catherine up from her house.

The minute she opened the door, he smiled. She wore close fitting black trousers, and a pale pink halter-top, the colour of which brought out the slight blush in her cheeks as he complimented her outfit.

"Is it smart enough?" she had asked. "I didn't know how… dressed up I needed to be."

"It's perfect," he had responded, then he waited while she locked up the house, before leading her to his car.

Their journey to the restaurant had been made in relative silence, and, while he kept his eyes mainly on the road, he did notice that she was tapping her fingers against her thighs, as if she was nervous. And a glance at her face, which was turned to watch the world passing by her window, revealed that she seemed unaware that she was doing it.

She had seemed to relax a little once they were inside the restaurant and had ordered their food. He had asked her about the others and so far she had told him about Nick moving back to Texas after his father's death last year, and about Warrick's promotion to Supervisor.

"How is he coping with Greg?" he asked, bringing his thoughts back to the present conversation, though part of his mind remained on observing Catherine's expressions and behaviour, monitoring her nervousness.

She laughed. "How did you cope with Greg?…" It was a rhetorical question. She took a sip of her wine, and then continued as she returned the glass to the table. "It helps that they're used to each other. And, although Greg occasionally likes to hover close to it, he still knows where the line is, and he doesn't cross it."

"So Greg's still Greg?" he smirked.

Catherine smiled fondly. "Wouldn't have him any other way."

Grissom smiled, thinking back over some of the stunts Greg had pulled during his time in Las Vegas.

"You should see them before you leave."

Catherine's words broke into his thoughts, making him aware that they had been sitting in silence.

He nodded quickly. "I'd like that."

Catherine smiled, a sparkle of what looked like excitement in her eyes. But she also looked like she was relieved that he had agreed to this. "I could try and arrange for us all to go for a drink. Maybe tomorrow? It might just have to be coffee, because Warrick and Greg'll be working tomorrow night, but…" she trailed off.

"Coffee would be fine. It'd be nice to catch up… I've been out of the loop."

Catherine shrugged. "You had other commitments."

Grissom nodded, understanding that she was referring to his mother, and the two of them fell into another silence as he tried to figure out if he wanted to actually speak the words that were in his head.

He decided he would, and took the breath to facilitate them, but then he noticed Catherine smile at something just over his shoulder, and a waiter came into his view, carrying their food.

Catherine looked almost relieved again, so he decided it was best to change the subject. He waited until the waiter had placed their plates, and then reinitiated conversation as they started to enjoy their meals.

"So, you never told me what Sara is doing now," he commented.

Catherine swallowed her latest bite of salmon, took a sip of water and then responded. "Sara transferred to Loughlin about… five and a half years ago… She's still a CSI… Actually, at the moment, she's on maternity leave…"

She paused, and Grissom sensed it was to give his surprise time to display itself – which it did, in the form of a raised eyebrow.

Before she continued, she smirked – and it looked to Grissom as if it was intended to say "you ain't seen nothing yet". This was confirmed by her next words.

"Yeah, she and Hodges…" There was another pause for his surprise. "…are expecting their second child any day now… Oh, in fact, two days ago," she smiled.

"Sara and Hodges?" Grissom asked, sounding as surprised as he looked.

Catherine giggled. "Yep… I was as shocked as you are. The first thing I knew about it was when Hodges transferred to Loughlin about twelve months after Sara did… They got married a year later."

"She hadn't told anyone?"

"I think Nick knew, and Warrick… And Greg and Sofia… Sara and I never were particularly close. It's not the kind of thing we would talk to each other about."

Catherine looked down to her food, and speared another piece of salmon with her fork.

Grissom frowned, noting a change in her demeanour. A lot of the tension, that had earlier seemed to have subsided, was back.

"Cath?"

She looked up, and he recognised the smile she offered him as forced.

"Are you okay?"

She forced the smile to widen. "I'm fine… This is nice… I've – " She stopped suddenly and there was a brief flash of panic in her eyes, before she concluded with: "… Not been here for ages… The food's great."

Grissom was pretty certain that the comment about the restaurant had not been what she had originally intended to say, but he also knew that it wouldn't be right to ask her what she had stopped herself from saying. He lost his right to ask for her innermost thoughts when he allowed them to lose touch six years ago.

----

Catherine returned her attention to her food, cursing herself for almost revealing that she'd missed him. She was determined that the issues from seven years ago were not going to come up and invade their reunion. To admit that she had missed him, would open the subject of their friendship, and where that was concerned, the past needed to be addressed – and she wasn't prepared to do that now. His visit would last for merely a few days, she did not want to spend that time opening up old wounds. If this was the start of a renewed friendship; if, this time, they did stay in touch when he went back to California; well then, one day, she would allow the conversation to take place. But this visit was not the time. She would not put herself through the emotion that went hand in hand with their history just to have him disappear again a few days later.

Knowing that the tension that had seeped through her defences had already made Grissom suspicious, she quickly tried to think of a subject to fill their current silence. Eating gave her a believable cover for only a few minutes, but fortunately she suddenly recalled her conversation with Lindsey – the justification she had given.

'We do need to talk about the case.'

She smiled a little to herself, relieved, and looked up, finding his eyes on her, his look that of studious concentration that she had seen on him many times, years ago. It remained only briefly as their eyes met, before he looked away, feigning interest in his dinner.

It still unnerved her; still made her heart flutter; still gave her hope; to look up and find him watching her, and she had to remind herself that things were different now.

She took a sip of water and a deep breath, and introduced the new topic.

"So, how are you and Jacob doing with the case?"

----

Catherine seemed to relax again once their conversation turned to work, and Grissom quite happily recounted the progress he and Jacob had made.

They finished their main course and, after clearing the plates, the waiter left them to consider whether they would like dessert.

"Too much choice?" Grissom asked, smiling at Catherine's look of indecision.

She returned the smile. "They all sound delicious… But, to be honest, I don't think I could eat another thing."

Grissom gave a small laugh. "Neither could I… Coffee?"

She shook her head. "Probably not a good idea… I've got an early start tomorrow."

Grissom nodded slowly, his sense that she was avoiding him slowly creeping back in. He forced himself to smile through it. "I'll get the check then."

"You could have coffee," Catherine offered quickly.

"No, I'll leave it. It's okay," he replied, looking to see if their waiter was nearby.

"Well, we could do it at my place," she said, then her cheeks flushed slightly as she realised how that sounded. Thankful that it was Gil she was talking to, and not Greg, she nevertheless added: "You could have a coffee… Without feeling bad for making me sit in a restaurant while you drink."

Gil smiled, comforted by the fact that she wasn't trying to end their evening as soon as possible. "Okay… If you're sure?… If you'd rather go home and go to - … and sleep…" he said, his own cheeks blushing at what he almost said. "… I'd understand."

"No, I couldn't sleep this early… Come for coffee," she smiled.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure… I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

She sounded like she meant it, but he also got the feeling that she was trying to assure herself as much as she was him.

He studied her for any sign that she was hoping he would decline the offer, then, finding none, he accepted.

"Okay then… I'd love to."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Notes and stuff: all in chapter one :-)

Chapter 6

Grissom pulled his car into the driveway of Catherine's house, and turned to look at her, concerned, when he saw the sight that had greeted them.

Catherine also looked worried as she glanced at him before sweeping from the vehicle.

He quickly followed her as she ran up the driveway. Ideally he would have liked to be ahead of her, but he was well aware that she could take care of herself, and would object to him interfering. After all, it was her house.

"What the hell are you doing?" she had yelled at the man who was standing at her front door banging on it so hard that a few more hits probably would have put his hand straight through it.

The offender turned round just before she had chance to do it for him, and Catherine took a step backwards, some of her anger replaced by surprise.

"Andrew?" she asked, her tone clearly that of confusion.

Before them stood a young man – early twenties, Grissom deduced from his youthful looks. His short brown hair was just long enough to have been ruffled, as if he had run his hands through it several times tonight, and dark circles under his eyes showed that he hadn't slept for a while.

Immediately upon seeing Catherine, this man – Andrew, evidently – had lowered his eyes, regret and shame sweeping his features.

"I'm sorry, Catherine…" he said, his voice trailing off, as he shook his head, as if to indicate that he didn't know what else to say.

"So you should be!" she reprimanded, though her tone fell short of actually threatening him. "Why are you here?" she asked, more softly, obviously having a great regard and respect for this man, and being unable to remain angry at him for long. "No… strike that," she added quickly. "I can figure out why you're here… So, what happened? Did you two have a fight?… Did you hurt her?" her tone was more hostile now. "If you hurt her then – "

"I didn't hurt her… And we didn't have a fight… Well, I don't remember having one…"

Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place now for Grissom. Apparently this young man knew Lindsey, and from Catherine's line of questioning, was most likely her boyfriend.

"Then what's with the pounding?" Catherine asked. "Obviously you thought she wouldn't want to let you in, otherwise, when she didn't answer the door the first time, you'd have come to the conclusion that she wasn't home…"

Andrew sighed and ran his hand through his hair once more. "Lindsey didn't tell me that she was coming to see you," he explained. "We were supposed to have dinner last night. I hadn't heard from her all day, so I called by her place after work, and she wasn't there… She'd left me a note, though."

From the dejected look on Andrew's face, Grissom felt certain he could guess what the note said.

"She said," he continued, "that she needed some time to think, so she was gonna take a few days and maybe she would see me when she got back."

"That's it?" Catherine asked.

Andrew nodded. "That's all it said."

Catherine studied him as she would a murder suspect. "And you swear you don't know what brought this on?" Her look silently added 'So help me God, if you lie to me…'

"I swear," Andrew said, his eyes glazed with sadness. "Things were going great."

Catherine took a deep breath as she contemplated his story, then she let it out slowly, and said: "Okay, I'm going to let you in… Simply because we've been standing out here for long enough. But then I'm going to call Lindsey, and if she doesn't want you here then you're out… Do you understand me?"

Andrew nodded again. "Thanks Catherine… And I really am sorry about – "

Catherine cut him off. "We'll forget about it for now… Unless I don't like what I hear from Lindsey."

With that she unlocked the door, stepped inside to deactivate the alarm and then indicated for Andrew to go through to the lounge.

Once the younger man was out of earshot, she turned back to Grissom, who had stepped up to the threshold, but not crossed it.

She smiled, sadly. "So much for coffee."

Grissom nodded. "You want me to go?"

Catherine's eyes widened. "You want to stay?" she asked, with a disbelieving laugh. "For this?"

"I'd like to make sure that everything is okay," he replied, simply.

Catherine caught his true meaning, as she always had done. "Gil, I'll be fine alone with Andrew. He's harmless."

"Tell that to your door."

Catherine glanced towards the door after he said that, and he saw her confidence waiver a little, as she looked at the slight indents in the wood.

"I have nowhere else that I need to be," he said. "I can stay if you need me to."

Catherine's eyes looked back to him. "I don't need you to," she said quickly, and almost defensively, causing Grissom to almost step backwards in shock at her tone. Then her expression softened and she added, "But it looks like I'm gonna be needing coffee tonight… So, if you would like to stay…"

She stepped back, smiling, and waved for him to enter the house.

He did so, with a smile, but he was still contemplating the way she had snapped at him; the emphasis on the word need; the look in her eyes as she had said it. The evening had gone well, and he was starting to feel that there definitely was a chance of rekindling their friendship, but clearly there were still issues from the past that needed resolving.

"Go on through." He heard her voice through his thoughts. "I'm gonna call Lindsey."

He nodded to her and made his way into the lounge, where Andrew had seated himself on the sofa, his elbows rested on his knees, and his head in his hands. He looked up as Grissom sat down on the chair opposite him.

With a small smile, laced with the sadness and tiredness the young man clearly felt, Andrew raised his hand out to Grissom. "I'm Andrew Welsh… You must be… Ecklie?"

Grissom almost choked on his own breath at Andrew's assumption, and convinced himself it had been through shock at being mistaken for Ecklie, and not because he was in any way affected by knowing that, not only did Andrew know of Ecklie, but he would assume that a man, with Catherine, must be him.

"No," he answered. "I'm Gil Grissom." He did not take the offered hand.

"Oh," Andrew said, as he awkwardly lowered his hand back down to his knee. "The guy that broke her mother's heart."

The comment was not made directly to Grissom, but more as if Andrew was thinking out loud. Regardless of that though, Grissom's breath caught at the words, and his mind raced with millions of thoughts. Of why Lindsey would have told Andrew that about Grissom; of why Lindsey would think that in the first place; of what Catherine may have said to Lindsey; of what Catherine must have thought and felt. Thoughts of every moment he and Catherine had spent together, ever; thoughts of words he'd said to her, things he had done, or hadn't done; thoughts of the way he had left, of their phone calls in that first year after he moved back to California, of the lack of contact in the last six years.

'…broke her mother's heart.'

If that was the way Catherine thought of him, then it was no surprise that she had seemed nervous around him since he returned.

He was startled from his thoughts by Catherine walking into the room.

"I can't reach Lindsey," she announced. "Maybe she's gone to the movies or something… We're going to have to wait 'til she gets home."

She had glanced at Grissom as she spoke, and must have noticed his distraction. "Gil, are you okay?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She eyed him suspiciously, and then looked to Andrew with the same distrust. "Did something happen in here while I was gone?"

Both men responded with "No!"

"Andrew, if there is more going on here and you're not telling me…" her threat trailed off and she turned back to Grissom. "And if you know something and you're not – "

Grissom stood up and moved to stand next to her. "Andrew didn't tell me anything… We were just getting acquainted. Hardly said more than seven words to each other," he assured her – seven not being a random number that popped into his head, but the exact number of words of Andrew's uttering that had imprinted on his memory.

Catherine nodded. "Okay… Well, when Lindsey gets home, I'm gonna talk to her before she knows you're here, Andrew… And if she doesn't want to see you, then you will leave." Her emphasis was on 'will'.

Andrew nodded. "I just want to know that she's okay… And that I can fix… whatever it is."

Catherine's smile to Andrew was one of sympathy and Grissom wondered if it was borne of knowing what it was like to have someone up and leave without adequate explanation of why, or was simply a result of her empathetic nature – something he had always admired about her.

But whatever Catherine's reasons for sympathising with Andrew were, Grissom knew that his reason was standing right beside him.

Catherine Willows… and his, now increased, desire to fix whatever it was that had gone wrong between them.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: For disclaimers and stuff please see chapter one.  
Additional notes: Thank you to Gomey for the beta :-) Sorry this took so long to get here.

-----

Chapter 7

It was merely twenty minutes later when Lindsey arrived home. Catherine stood up immediately on hearing her key in the door, ready to intercept her before she saw who was in the living room.

To his credit, Andrew had only lifted his head to acknowledge that he had heard her arrive. He had made no attempt to go to her. Nevertheless Catherine directed a look at Grissom that asked him to watch Andrew, and the nodded response he offered showed her that their unspoken communication was still intact.

She stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and met Lindsey in the foyer.

"Hey, honey!" she smiled.

"Mom, I saw his car in the driveway, you don't need to pretend he isn't here," Lindsey said as she hung her jacket on the coat rack.

Catherine frowned, momentarily confused, before she realised that by 'he', Lindsey meant Grissom, and not Andrew.

"…I take it the 'non-date' went well then," Lindsey was continuing. "Don't worry, I'll grab myself a drink and then I'll be out of your way."

Catherine followed as Lindsey headed for the kitchen as she spoke. "Baby, I'm not trying to pretend that Grissom isn't here – "

"Mom, you know my thoughts on the subject… But, you'll do whatever makes you happy. I just hope – "

"Lindsey, I'm not trying to talk to you about me and Grissom," Catherine interrupted her, having to raise her voice slightly for it to be effective.

Lindsey stopped at the louder tone, and turned away from her task of retrieving water from the fridge, to face her mother.

"Honey, Grissom isn't the only visitor here tonight. Andrew's here."

At the mention of her boyfriend's name Lindsey visibly paled, and her eyes widened. "Andrew?"

Catherine nodded. "I tried to call you, but your phone was off… He seems to genuinely not know why you took off without talking to him, that's why I let him in… But if you tell me you don't want him here, then he's gone."

"I didn't take off," Lindsey said, quietly, her face crumpled in concentration, as if she was trying to decide what to do.

"No," Catherine said, sympathetically. "You just left without telling him where, or why, you were going... Or so he says."

Lindsey raised her eyes to meet her mother's. "He told you the truth… I didn't tell him my reasons for coming."

"Which are?" Catherine prompted softly.

"I wanted to see my Mom?" Lindsey said, with a small smile.

Catherine grinned. "And?"

"I just needed some space, Mom… People need space every now and again, don't they?" Lindsey answered her, seriously.

Catherine didn't need mother's intuition to know that she wasn't being told the full story, but this attribute did fill in some of the gaps for her in her head. She was fairly sure she knew what it was Lindsey was still keeping from her, and while she longed to confront it, and help, she knew that Lindsey had her reasons for not telling her, and she would respect that.

Catherine stepped forwards and pulled her daughter into a short, supportive, hug, then, pulling back, she said: "I get the feeling Andrew's trip was so impulsive that he probably hasn't arranged a place to stay…"

"I'm not ready to see him."

Catherine nodded. "Okay… Did he hurt you?"

Lindsey shook her head, and Catherine nodded again. "You're sure?"

This time Lindsey nodded.

"Okay… Well, I'll see what I can do about his accommodation… You need anything before I go?"

Lindsey smiled, gratefully, but sadly. "No thanks…"

Catherine hugged her one more time and then left her in the kitchen, closing the door behind her as she returned to the living room.

-----

Andrew had started pacing about five minutes after Catherine had left the room. His path did not stray to anywhere near the door, though, so Grissom left him to it.

Andrew would sigh with frustration or confusion every now and again but, otherwise, there was no sound in the room. Clearly the younger man's mind was elsewhere, and Grissom was still distracted by Andrew's earlier words.

Both men were lost in their own thoughts about Willows women when the older of the two subjects stepped back into the room.

Andrew stopped in his tracks and looked at her with hope filled eyes.

She smiled regretfully and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Andrew, she's not ready to speak to you."

Andrew's shoulders slumped. "Did she tell you what's going on?"

"No, she didn't. She said she just needs some space. She'll talk to you when she's ready."

"And how long will that take?" he asked, an edge of impatience to his tone.

Catherine sighed. "I don't know… But I'll speak to her; try to get her to talk to you soon… Right now, though – "

"I know," he interrupted, sadly, "I need to leave." He walked towards the door. "Tell her I love her?" he asked, stopping in front of Catherine.

Catherine nodded. "Sure… Do you have somewhere to stay?"

Andrew smiled at his own thoughtlessness. "I didn't exactly think this through… But this city's full of hotels. I'll find somewhere."

"You can come with me," Grissom said, startling both of them with his sudden contribution to the conversation.

They turned to face him, questioning looks on both faces.

"I'm sorry?" Andrew said.

"You can come with me… We'll see if my hotel has an empty room… If not, you can… sleep on my floor."

"That's very kind of you, Mr Grissom, but I couldn't ask – "

"You didn't ask. I offered… Catherine and I both know how dangerous it can be to wander the streets of Vegas late at night."

After apparently thinking this through for a minute or so, Andrew nodded his acceptance. "Okay… Thank you."

Grissom just shrugged, and Andrew turned back to Catherine.

"Please ask her to call me," he said, quietly.

"I will… Things will be okay, Andrew," she smiled reassuringly.

"I hope so," the young man said, then he walked out of the room.

Grissom and Catherine followed him, stopping at the threshold of the front door after Andrew had passed through it.

Grissom checked outside to make sure Andrew was out of earshot, then spoke quietly to Catherine.

"You know more than you're letting on," he commented.

"She hasn't told me anything… But a mother has a sixth sense when it comes to her children… I'll talk to her in the morning. I think she does need to talk to Andrew though. And I know that she doesn't like putting him through this."

Grissom nodded. "I hope she's okay."

Catherine smiled. "Thanks. She will be… And thank you for taking Andrew."

"Don't mention it… But, I should warn you… If he ends up sleeping in my room, and he snores, I will be calling in a return favour."

Catherine laughed. "Then let's hope it doesn't come to that."

The now familiar awkward silence enveloped them again as they both tried to figure out how to end the evening.

Eventually they spoke simultaneously, both then conceding to let the other speak first, and therefore not making any progress at all. Finally Grissom insisted that Catherine should speak, and wouldn't take any argument.

"Okay," she said, smiling. "I just wanted to say thanks, for dinner… I'm sorry this evening didn't exactly go as planned."

Grissom returned the smile. "It's all right. Every date I've ever had in Vegas didn't – "

He stopped when he realised what he'd said, the look of surprise on Catherine's face being what alerted him to his wording.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean – "

"I know what you meant," Catherine interrupted, ensuring that she was smiling.

Grissom nodded, feeling that unease settling again, so choosing to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"I'll call in the morning. To see what Lindsey would like me to do with Andrew… If that's okay?"

This time Catherine nodded. "That's fine… I'm gonna cancel my early meeting. I need to be here for Linds… I might not be able to organise that drink with Warrick and Greg either."

"Don't worry about it… I'll try to catch them at the lab before I go."

"It would have been good to – "

"Cath," he stopped her, subconsciously placing his hand gently on her arm as he spoke. "Concentrate on Lindsey… We can do it some other time."

"You're practically finished with the case, you won't be here much longer."

"I can be spared for a few more days," he smiled.

She simply smiled in response, as conflicting feelings danced through her heart – part of her pleased he might be in Vegas longer, but part of her anxious about the opportunity to spend more time with him. The feeling of his hand against the skin of her arm was stirring feelings she had long ago determined to forget and she wasn't sure how much longer they would manage to remain that way.

Seeing Catherine glance uneasily at his hand, Gil quickly dropped it back to his side, with a whispered, "Sorry."

Catherine's lips twitched briefly into a sympathetic smile then, sensing another silence approaching to engulf them, she forced the smile to widen and said:

"Well I should go and call Conrad." Seeing Gil frown, she added: "About tomorrow."

Gil nodded. "Ah yeah… I'll talk to you in the morning."

And Catherine nodded. "Yeah… Thanks again."

"I enjoyed it," he smiled.

"I enjoyed it too."

He hesitated as if, perhaps, there was something else he wanted to say, but in the end he just wished her goodnight and walked to his car.

Catherine waved to the men as they drove away then she closed the door. Leaning back against it she rested her head back and closed her eyes, her evening with Gil replaying in her mind.

She'd had butterflies fluttering in her stomach all night, and they remained now. His comment about his 'dates' played again, and she once again felt a crushing feeling in her chest; the touch of his fingers on her skin lingered, and she cursed herself for allowing it.

As the last words she said to him echoed through her thoughts she took a deep breath and forced back the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

"I enjoyed it too."

And she had.

And that frightened her.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Catherine waited impatiently for Grissom to answer the phone; her foot tapping anxiously on the floor, and fingers drumming on the kitchen counter.

When the call finally connected, she spoke before he had even managed to finish his greeting.

"Gil, is Lindsey with you?" she asked, voice shaking with panic.

Her entire body relaxed when he confirmed that she was.

"She just arrived. She came to see Andrew -"

"Oh good," she said. "Sorry if I was a little abrupt… She was gone when I woke up and – "

She paused when there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry, Gil, someone's at the door, can you ask Lindsey – "

"Catherine, Andrew isn't here…" Grissom managed to interrupt her.

"What?"

"I'm assuming it could be him at the door."

Catherine rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling. "Kids!… Hold on…"

She moved through to the foyer and opened the front door.

"Andrew! Hi!" she said, over-smiling and shaking her head. She signalled for him to come in and put the phone back to her ear. "Yeah, it's him…"

"I'll bring Lindsey over," Grissom offered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, reminding herself that he wasn't as much a part of her life as he used to be, and he didn't have to be involved in all of this.

"Yes," he said simply, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll see you shortly."

"Thanks, Gil," she said then, disengaging the call, she turned to Andrew. "You two make a great couple… Lindsey is at Gil's hotel to see you."

Andrew's eyes widened. "What?"

"Gil's gonna bring her over… Have you eaten?"

"No… I really needed to see her…"

"Well, you're lucky she set out to see you… because, otherwise, I wouldn't have let you in… You were supposed to wait 'til she was ready Andrew."

"Maybe I sensed that she was?" he said, with a slight smirk.

Catherine smiled. This was more like the Andrew she knew. "Nice try… Come on, you can help me fix us all some breakfast while we wait."

-----

Most of the journey from the hotel to Catherine's house was made in silence, the only sound the quiet music drifting from the radio.

To make conversation, Grissom tried to discuss the complexities of making the journey to the hotel by bus, but Lindsey shrugged it off as nothing, saying she hadn't wanted to disturb Catherine.

After that, Lindsey turned her face to the world outside; her young features creased in worry. Her fingers tapped nervously on her thighs as Catherine's had done the evening before, and Grissom smiled, wistfully, at the similarity between mother and daughter.

His mind wandered to a night many years ago when Catherine had freaked out because Lindsey didn't want a birthday party. She had been worried that she was making Lindsey weird; that the little girl never saw her mother have any fun or spend time with her friends, and she was copying that. Gil had assured her that Lindsey mimicking Catherine would not be a bad thing. From the look she had given him, he got the feeling she thought he was just flattering her, but he had meant it sincerely.

It was good to see that Catherine and Lindsey had managed to come through the problems they had after Eddie's death. They seemed to be as close now as they were before that night, and it pleased him to see that. He knew it had broken Catherine's heart a little bit more every time she and Lindsey had fought, and, as her friend, it was horrible to watch her go through that and not be able to fix everything for her.

Thinking about Catherine's heart breaking reminded him of Andrew's words from the previous evening, and stirred once more his feelings of confusion and guilt. Although he didn't know what it was he had done to cause Andrew to make that comment, it still troubled him to think that he had caused Catherine pain.

With his thoughts on this new path, the silence no longer felt comfortable, so he tried another topic with Lindsey.

"Your Mom tells me you're at college in New York."

Her head snapped round to face him as if he had startled her, and he wondered again what it was that played so heavily on her mind.

"Yeah, I am," she replied.

"Do you like it?"

She nodded, but didn't look so sure.

"Oh, I'm convinced," he said with a smile.

Lindsey laughed a little, but there was no humour to it. "It's a long way from home."

Grissom nodded understandingly. "You miss your Mom?"

"Yeah… But she wouldn't hear of me going anywhere closer. I had always wanted to see New York, and throughout high school I'd talked about going to college there, but, having lost dad, and nearly losing her, staying with her was more important to me than whatever childhood dreams I may have had…"

Grissom felt his heart stop as he heard Lindsey say, "nearly losing her". She could have just been referring to the fact that they had grown apart, but the way she had said it, and that it came after mention of Eddie, made him think it was more serious than that.

"… But she wouldn't let what happened keep me from going," Lindsey was continuing, having failed to register the shock and confusion on Grissom's face. "And, in a way, I am glad I went. It is quite an experience and I would have missed that, and I never would have met Andrew," she smiled as she mentioned her boyfriend's name, and Grissom knew then that whatever was going on would be worked through. "But I miss her, and I worry about her. But she's trying to carry on as if it never happened; I guess I need to do the same… Although I don't think she's dealing with it as well as she'd like people to believe. She still worries herself, I think… And now I'm gonna give her some more to worry about." Her tone changed to one of anger. "She is gonna be so angry," she sighed, rubbing her hand across her face.

Grissom had so many questions about what had happened to Catherine, but Lindsey had changed the subject, opening up about what was on her mind, and it would be inconsiderate for him to change it back.

"I'm sure she won't be angry… She never could be angry at you," he said, trying to push the feelings of panic, dread and fear from his mind and heart.

Lindsey looked up at him. "She's certainly good at making it appear that she is, then."

Grissom smiled. "All mothers are fabulous actors… Whatever's wrong, Lindsey, she won't be angry."

Lindsey just stared at him for a while with a look he recognised from years of watching Catherine study evidence.

"What?" he asked her.

"It's been seven years but you still have that same look in your eyes."

His frown deepened. "What look?"

"The look you get when you talk about Mom… I used to see it whenever you looked at her, or whenever you mentioned her… And it's still there after all this time." Though it was her observation, Lindsey sounded as confused by this as Gil was.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, though he did have a feeling he knew what she meant.

"That's because you don't see yourself when you're talking about her…" Lindsey responded, still studying him.

The intensity of her gaze was making him nervous, and he failed to think of an immediate response to that. And Lindsey spoke again before he could.

"Why are you here?"

He glanced at her to see that it was a deadly serious question. "Your Mom asked for my help with a case."

"And you just dropped everything and flew out here?"

He was starting to fear where this might be going. The similarities between Lindsey and Catherine were proving too useful to him in understanding exactly what each look she gave him meant. "I took a day or so to ensure everything would run smoothly at the lab in my absence, then I flew out here."

"And what are you doing here?" she asked, emphasis on 'here'.

Gil frowned even more. "Didn't we just – "

"To help with a case, you didn't have to take her out for dinner, you didn't have to let Andrew stay with you, and you didn't have to drive me back home this morning."

"It's what friends do – "

"Did you not stop being a friend six years ago when you stopped calling?"

"Lindsey this is not something – "

"She spent a long time trying to get over you..."

This silenced him.

"When she told me she was going out to dinner last night with you, and not Ecklie, it worried me…" She laughed a little. "It used to worry me that she spent so much time with him, but, out of the two of you, last night, he would have been my first choice."

"Lindsey, everything that's happened with your Mom and me is not as simple as you're making out… If I hurt her, I am sorry for that, but it was never my intention and I wasn't aware that I'd done it."

"I know."

He frowned again. "Sorry?"

"I see that now… Last night, Ecklie would have been my first choice… This morning, I see that you still genuinely care… And, you might claim that all mothers are good actors, but she's not good enough to convince me that she managed to get over you."

That might have been intended as an explanation, but Gil was still confused as to whether Lindsey was angry at him or not.

"… Until you left, I was a Gil-Catherine shipper, Grissom," she smirked.

"A what?" he asked, brow creased further.

"Internet lingo," she grinned, clearly having known all along that he wouldn't know what she meant. "I always thought the two of you would get together."

"'Always thought'? Lindsey you were twelve when I left."

She smiled again. "Yeah… Twelve, not stupid!" She giggled at the look of complete and utter confusion and surprise on Gil's face. "I'm just saying… you've got a second chance, Grissom… Please don't hurt her again."

While her tone had softened, her eyes held a threatening glare. And, he knew it was irrational for him to fear a twenty-year-old, but it was another 'Catherine look', and those always terrified him.

"I won't."

Lindsey smiled and nodded, "Good," then she turned back to the window and her features straightened, as her mind clearly returned to whatever her problem was.

-----

A few minutes later, Grissom was still trying to process all of the new information he had acquired from his short conversation with Lindsey, and almost missed Catherine's driveway.

He saw it at the last minute and swerved his car round the corner with as little disturbance to their seating posture as possible.

Lindsey grinned at him. "Nice driving," she said, before opening the door and stepping from the vehicle.

Grissom quickly followed her, and stopped her just as she was about to put her front door key into the lock. "Lindsey, what happened to your Mom?" he asked, finally unable to refrain from asking his questions.

Lindsey frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You said you nearly lost her," he said quickly.

Realisation passed visibly across Lindsey's face. "Ah… You don't know that she got shot?"

Though it was pointless for him to feel fear for Catherine's safety now, Grissom nevertheless was overwhelmed by it and took a step backwards.

"I thought you would have – " She stopped when the door opened and Catherine stepped outside.

"Hey," she greeted them cheerfully. "Are you coming in or not? Andrew and I made breakfast."

Lindsey remained looking apologetically at Grissom for a second and then she turned to her mother. "Hi, Mom," she said, stepping forward and embracing her. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

"Well, luckily I managed to figure out where you would go," Catherine grinned, glancing towards Grissom. Seeing the serious look on his face, her smile faltered as Lindsey walked past her and into the house. "Gil?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

He turned to face her, forcing a smile. "I'm fine," he lied.

"Will you join us for breakfast?" she asked, probably because he looked about ready to run away.

"Er… Thank you for the offer, but I need to go into the lab and finalise a few things… And I need to check in back home."

Catherine nodded, a small frown creasing her forehead. "Are you sure?"

He nodded quickly. "But thank you… again."

Catherine smiled, but it was clear from her expression that she thought there was something he wasn't telling her. "And thank you… For driving Lindsey over… And for taking Andrew with you last night," she said.

"Not a problem," he said. "I hope they work everything out."

"Well, there's no shouting coming from my kitchen yet, so that's gotta be a good sign, right?" Catherine said, with a smirk.

Grissom smiled, genuinely this time. "Let's hope so."

When Catherine's only response was a nod of her head, Grissom made sure to speak again before the inevitable descent of silence could occur. "Will I see you at the lab later?" he asked.

"Er… I'm not sure," she replied. "It depends how things go here… Conrad said it's fine for me to have the day off if necessary."

Grissom nodded. "That's good… Well, I'll probably see you tomorrow then."

Catherine nodded also. "Yeah… Thanks again."

Grissom shrugged, smiled and turned to walk back to his car.

As soon as he was in the vehicle he let out a breath he felt he had been holding in throughout their conversation.

It was illogical, he knew, for him to feel fear when thinking about the fact that Catherine had been shot – that was over now; she was alive. But it didn't stop him from feeling it; from feeling guilt, that he should have been here; and from feeling that he had no right to be here now, expecting them to be able to fall back into a friendship he had put an end to.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Gil stared for a few more seconds at the unopened file in front of him. His fingers hovered over the corner of the cover once more then were snatched back to his side with a frustrated sigh. As much as he wanted to look, reading the file about Catherine's shooting was not the appropriate way to find out the information.

He sighed again and reprimanded himself for even considering such an invasion of her privacy, then he swiped the file off the table and took it back to where it had come from before leaving the room.

-----

Catherine had been seated on all three sections of the sofa, on the chair and on the coffee table; she had paced the length of the room several times; had alphabetised her books, CDs and DVDs, and then rearranged them into a random order again; and she had just begun to move her living room furniture around when she heard the kitchen door finally open.

Sighing with relief, she moved the chair back to its original position and sat down on it, a magazine in her hands, trying to look as natural as possible. Lindsey and Andrew entered seconds later.

She lowered the magazine and smiled at them. "Everything okay?" she asked, keeping her tone light, despite the apprehension churning in her stomach.

Lindsey nodded, and Andrew smiled, but both looked nervous as they sat side by side on the sofa. Andrew's hand sought Lindsey's and squeezed it as if in reassurance, and Lindsey cast him a quick glance and smile before turning back to Catherine and taking a deep breath.

"Mom," she began, her voice shaky, "I've explained to Andrew why I'm here…" she paused as if she couldn't think of the best way to say what was on her mind.

Catherine leaned forward in her seat, a small comforting smile on her lips. "Linds, I think I know why you're here. You don't need to be scared to tell me, baby. Just say it."

"I don't want you to be disappointed in me," Lindsey said, her voice breaking and tears welling in her eyes.

Catherine felt her own tears tingle behind her eyes, and swept forward to kneel in front of Lindsey, taking her daughter's free hand in hers. "Lindsey, you would never do anything that would make me disappointed in you."

Lindsey bit her bottom lip. "I'm scared, Mom," she admitted quietly.

Catherine nodded understandingly. "It is scary… But are you happy?"

She saw the smile in Lindsey's eyes before it curved the corners of her lips and Lindsey nodded. "I am… Happy scared." Her daughter's words were accompanied by a small laugh, and an uncontrollable smile sweeping across her face.

Catherine couldn't help but smile as well, and she wrapped her arms around Lindsey. "Everything will be fine, baby… I know there's a lot to think about and to sort out, but, in my experience, things always turn out fine in the end."

Lindsey tightened her grip on her mother, but Catherine was pleased to see that one hand was still securely wrapped in Andrew's. Catherine looked at the young man and, seeing the trepidation on his face, she smiled reassuringly to him and moved one hand to his shoulder, squeezing gently.

-----

Two hours later, Catherine had left Lindsey and Andrew to spend some time alone together. There was a lot the young couple would need to decide, and discuss, and for all she wanted to help Lindsey, she knew that a mother's interference never went down well.

So she had excused herself and made her way to the lab.

She was barely through the door when her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she smiled when she saw Warrick's name displayed. She pressed to connect the call and raised the phone to her ear, continuing her path to her office as they spoke.

"Warrick, hey," she greeted him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Pulled a double," the graveyard shift supervisor explained. "I've only just got home."

"Bad case?" she asked, assuming that was why he would be calling.

"Aren't they all?" he replied, "But the evidence was actually coming in quickly and we knew we'd be able to wrap it up if we stayed."

Catherine nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see her. "So, what brings you to call me as soon as you got home?" she asked, as the call seemed less likely to be about the case.

"Well, I noticed you weren't at the lab, and I wanted to check that everything is okay."

Catherine couldn't help but smile as her mind instantly flicked back to the subject that had kept her from the lab that morning. "Everything's fine," she told him.

"So you and Grissom are - … Everything's okay between you and Grissom?"

Now she frowned and came to a stand still in the corridor. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, you denied it, but I know you were apprehensive about him coming back – "

"Warrick, that's not what prompted your question," she interrupted him. "What's going on?"

Warrick was silent and Catherine felt sure she could hear him fidgeting on the other end of the line.

"Warrick…" she prompted warningly.

"It's just… Well, I saw Grissom at the lab earlier…"

"And?" Catherine encouraged him, wondering what on Earth could have been said between the two men for Warrick to be this reluctant to tell her. She had thought things were going well. Apparently she had been wrong. That didn't surprise her though, it wasn't the first time it had happened with regard to Gil.

"He was asking about the shooting," Warrick stated as if that would explain everything.

Catherine frowned. "The shooting?… Was that your case?… I –"

"Your shooting, Cath…" Warrick clarified. "When you got shot."

Her frown dissipated as she realised what Warrick was talking about, but soon returned as it occurred to her that, as far as she was aware, Gil didn't even know there had been a shooting.

"Cath?" Warrick's voice came through the phone again and shook her from the silence she hadn't realised she had fallen into. "You still there?"

"I'm here," she assured him quickly. "How does he know?"

"Well, until he started asking me questions, I hadn't been aware that he didn't know… Did you never tell him?"

Catherine suddenly became aware of pairs of eyes watching her as people passed her in the corridor, obviously wondering why she was just standing there looking shocked. She resumed her walk to her office and tried to shrug off Warrick's question.

"We'd lost touch by then," she said then quickly redirected, not giving him chance to respond. "What was he asking?"

"He just wanted to know what had happened; how serious it was. He seemed concerned."

"And yet that concerned you?" she asked, reminding him that he had phoned her to ask if everything was okay.

"It just seemed odd, and rather out of the blue. And when I said that really he should ask you, he was very apologetic and looked almost guilt-stricken… It wasn't the Grissom I remember."

Catherine felt her brow crease further, and her chest seemed to constrict a little. That didn't sound like the Gil she remembered either and she had to wonder what was going on. She forced a smile to her face to lighten her tone, and joked, "He's probably just worried I'll yell at him for talking about me behind my back. He did once say that he was scared of me."

She had reached her office and stepped into the foyer, freezing when she saw Gil standing by Natasha's desk waiting for her.

"Er, I'll have to go. I'll call you later." She disconnected the call and dropped her phone back into her pocket as she closed the door behind her.

"Mr Grissom is here to see you," Natasha said with a smirk. "And you have these messages."

Catherine approached her assistant's desk and took the notes she was holding out. "Thank you, Nat… Gil, what can I do for you?" she asked, hoping that her smile wasn't actually trembling, despite feeling like it was.

"I was bringing by my report to leave for you, and Natasha mentioned you were coming in… I just wanted to check that everything is okay."

She forced her smile wider. "Everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

He frowned at her response. "Is Lindsey okay?"

Lindsey. Catherine mentally slapped herself several times. Of course he was talking about Lindsey. Then she mentally slapped Warrick. Several times.

"Oh, yeah she's fine. Everything is… getting sorted out."

"That's good," he said, nodding slowly.

She too nodded and an all too familiar silence followed.

Gil glanced at the desk, his hand drumming slightly on what Catherine presumed was his report. In the corner of her eyes she could see Natasha looking curiously between the two of them, and then the younger woman stood up.

"I'm just gonna… powder my nose," she muttered as she left the office.

Catherine inwardly cursed. She had intentionally remained in the outer office so that Natasha would be present during their conversation. She knew it was probably irrational, but she found herself incredibly nervous about Gil asking about the shooting. It was in the past. And the past was something she really could not face talking about with him.

"So the case is solved?" she asked, hoping to preoccupy him long enough to keep the subject at bay.

"Very nearly… Jacob will submit a full report to you. Probably by the end of shift."

She smiled. "Excellent. Thank you so much for coming in to help. Those bugs were confusing the hell out of all of us."

"Any time," he responded, offering his own smile.

"So, you'll be heading home?"

"Well, I did say I would stay a few more days… And I haven't seen Greg yet, so I might hang around."

She didn't know whether she was pleased or not. "Excellent… They're surviving without you?"

He gave a small laugh. "I'm assured that they are. I guess I'll find out when I return."

She nodded – having decided that nodding was a good way of passing through a silence. "I hope the place is intact when you get back." Feeling the conversation slipping away again, she looked to the desk and indicated the report.

"Is that your report?" she asked as she reached out to pick it up.

His hand moved as well, and landed on top of hers, preventing her from getting hold of the folder. "Catherine…"

His voice was soft, as was his hand, and despite all her anxiety about this moment and all her determined effort over the last six years, his touch still sent shockwaves through her. Damn him! She pulled her hand away and looked up at him.

"Why didn't you tell me you got shot?" he asked.

She shrugged. "It was long time ago… I barely even think about it. It never occurred to me to mention it."

"And when it happened? Why didn't you tell me about it then?"

This was exactly what she had hoped to avoid. Starting down this path could only end in disaster.

"Gil, it's in the past. It doesn't matter – "

"You nearly died, Catherine – "

"I did not… How did you find out anyway?"

"Lindsey let it slip. She assumed I already knew… Answer my question."

"Why? What difference will it make?… I didn't die. I'm still here."

"You should have called. Or had Lindsey call. I would have come back. I would have been here – "

"And how was I to know that?" she snapped, the dam finally giving way beneath the pressure. She'd tried to avoid this, but he'd pushed it too far. "You stopped calling, Gil. You stopped emailing. How was I supposed to know that you still gave a damn as to whether I lived or died?"

She saw her words physically hurt him. "Of course I cared," he said, barely above a whisper – the sound so quiet compared to the force with which she'd practically yelled at him.

"Then why did you disappear? Why didn't you keep in touch?… I hadn't heard from you in over a year when I got shot, Gil. Why would I even think of contacting you?" She didn't see how admitting that she had thought about him, that she had wished he was there with her would help the situation.

"I'm sorry Cath. I never realised leaving would hurt you so much – "

"It didn't, Gil… I was sad when you left, yes, but I wasn't devastated… You were going to be closer to your mother. I understood that. I was sad that I wouldn't see you everyday, but I understood. And I found comfort in the fact that we would always be only a phone call apart." She paused, glistening, moist eyes focussing on him intently. "So the devastation and hurt set in when you stopped calling."

She turned from him abruptly as tears spilled over onto her cheeks, and she angrily wiped them away.

"Catherine… I'm sorry. I never – "

"Stop, Gil," she said, half-facing him again. "Please just stop… I can't do this… I'm not prepared for this."

He frowned. "Prepared for what? Catherine… Let me fix this."

"There's nothing to fix… I cannot return to that chapter of my life, Gil. I moved past it - obviously not as successfully as I'd thought – but I moved on… I won't go back… I can't go back."

Gil looked completely lost. "Can we go forward?"

She raised a shaky hand to wipe her eyes again as she took a steadying breath. She bit her bottom lip to stop it quivering as she considered her answer, and allowed her eyes to lock with his. "I hope so."

Gil nodded slowly, his eyes dropping away from hers. "Okay… I'm sorry. I didn't… I never meant to hurt you, not then and not now – "

"Gil," she cut him off, shaking her head to show she didn't want him to continue.

He nodded again and stepped towards the door. "I'll speak to you soon?" he asked as his fingers came into contact with the door handle.

She smiled a watery smile and nodded. "Sure."

Then their eyes met once more for the briefest of moments before he opened the door and walked out.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Catherine closed the front door behind her, leaning against it for a moment, exhausted by the emotions of earlier in the day.

She had stayed at the lab and buried herself in work, determined not to think about Gil. She couldn't decide whether it would be better to let him return to San Francisco and continue as she had been for the last six years – without him; or to try to salvage what had been one of the most important relationships in her life. Part of her was persistently arguing that too much time had passed for the necessary repairs to be made. That part, however, was being lost beyond the louder insistence of the part that had missed him: the part that still trembled beneath his touch.

Releasing a sigh that mixed frustration and exhaustion she pushed herself away from the door, dropped her keys and purse onto the side and walked into the living room – a false smile firmly in place for Lindsey's benefit.

--

Lindsey and Andrew were nestled on the sofa, ostensibly watching television, but given their earlier news, Catherine suspected their minds were elsewhere.

They both looked up as Catherine entered their field of vision, and Andrew leaned over to the remote and muted the sound of their programme.

"Hey," she said to them, perching on the edge of a chair as she spoke. "How are you both doing?"

It was good to see a smile spread across both faces. "We're okay," Lindsey said, her nervous happiness also evident in her voice. "We're terrified," she added with a small laugh, "but we're okay."

Catherine nodded understandingly, her own smile now completely genuine, earlier events momentarily forgotten. "I'll be here to support you, every step of the way."

Lindsey's eyes conveyed her gratitude. "Thanks, Mom… We're gonna go back to New York in the morning. I don't want to miss any more classes. I figure it's better to keep everything normal for as long as possible."

Pushing back the brief sadness that shot through her to know that Lindsey would also be leaving, Catherine nodded again, fully understanding Lindsey's decision.

"But," her daughter continued, "I'm going to come back here in a few months, if that's okay? I'd like to be home."

Catherine felt her heart lift. "Of course that's okay, honey… I'd love for you to be back home. And I'll try to interfere as little as possible. I promise."

Lindsey laughed. "Thanks. Again… How was work?"

Catherine followed Lindsey's change of subject, sinking back into the chair as she spun them stories about the piles and piles of reports she had to get through. She made no mention of Gil.

"It's been a busy day," she concluded. "What do you say we go out for dinner? My treat. Your choice."

-----

Early the following morning, Catherine drove Lindsey and Andrew to the airport and, over breakfast, they spoke a little more of the future before they had to proceed through for their flight.

It was with a mixture of happiness, excitement and sadness that Catherine watched them leave. She had never once considered herself to be feeling lonely since Lindsey had moved away to college, but as she turned to walk back through the airport alone, that feeling overwhelmed her.

Her mind relived the last few days with her daughter, and pointed out that it was not just Lindsey that had returned to her then. And it was not just Lindsey who was going to go away again.

Closing her eyes and sighing, Catherine came to a stop and opened her bag, reaching for her cell phone. She opened her eyes quickly when her hand failed to find it, and cursed her own forgetfulness when she realised she must have left in on her nightstand. She didn't recall having picked it up before leaving the house.

Sighing again, she resumed her path, fighting the part of her brain that was trying to tell her the absence of her phone was a sign that she should not even be considering calling Gil.

---

The airport was busy that morning. Business men and women, and tourist families, with five or six suitcases, moved past her in all directions, and as Catherine passed by the check-in desks, she noted that the queues were much longer than when she had arrived.

Her thoughts still preoccupied with whether or not she wanted to call Gil, she thought she was hallucinating when her eyes glanced towards the queue at the United airlines desk, and she saw Gil amidst the waiting passengers.

Shaking her head to clear it, she looked again. It was from a distance, across a crowded area, but it most definitely looked like him. And when he turned, as if sensing that he was being observed, she got confirmation.

His face fell as his eyes came to rest on her, and tension took an instant hold of Catherine's body. Her breathing deepened, her chest heaving with anger as she watched him look around as if deciding whether or not to leave his place in line. Her hurt that he was leaving so quickly, after he had told her he planned to stay, mingled with memories of saying goodbye to him in this very airport seven years ago, and with recollections of the first few months after they spoke for the last time. Tears welled in her eyes as part of her gloated that it was right to tell her to avoid getting close to him again. And the tears began to fall as another part pointed out that it was too late.

Seeing him still watching her, she shook her head, clearly conveying her disapproval and disappointment, then she turned and made her way as quickly as possible to her car; pulling out of the parking lot as soon as she was seated in the vehicle.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Catherine came to a stop outside the crime lab, her hands remaining on the steering wheel, as she just stared forward, tension still gripping every muscle within her. She was already late, having stopped twice on the way from the airport to calm herself into a safe driving state. There was no way on Earth she was going to let Gil Grissom drive her, and anyone else she might encounter on her journey, into an accident.

She checked her appearance in her rear view mirror, laughing at herself for even thinking that her make up would be anywhere near perfect. Reaching for her purse, she tidied herself up as best she could, and hoped that the air outside would have cooled her eyes and cheeks by the time she got inside. Everyone would know that Gil had left; she didn't need them to associate her tear-stained face with that. Even if the two were connected.

Satisfied that, outwardly, she could pull off some semblance of normalcy, she took a deep breath to calm her internally. Butterflies were battling in her stomach, her heart felt as shattered as it had done six years ago, and all she really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. But she had done that far too many times over men – this man in particular – and she had vowed years ago that it would never happen again.

Stepping into the fresh morning air, she took several more deep breaths, and let the wind brush over her for a minute. Then, after locking the car, she focussed her eyes on the building's entrance and determined that from now on she was in work mode.

---

There was the occasional look from someone she walked past, but Catherine just smiled pleasantly at them and they scurried away. She didn't know whether to be concerned or pleased that there existed that certain level of fear of her within the lab.

Natasha was not at her desk when Catherine arrived at her office, but she decided she couldn't really criticise her assistant for being late, when she was. She moved straight through the outer office, and was hanging up her jacket and purse when there was a knock on the frame of the open door.

"You're late."

Catherine turned and smiled apologetically at Conrad Ecklie. "Sorry."

His brow creased a little. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and crossed the office to lean against her desk. "I'm fine."

"Is Lindsey okay?"

"Yeah. I've just dropped her off at the airport, she's going back to New York."

"Ah, flying visit," he commented with a smile.

"Yeah…" she agreed adding, muttered under her breath, "Seems to be happening a lot around here."

"Ah," Conrad said next, as if suddenly coming to a realisation.

"What?" she asked, frowning but knowing full well what he had deduced.

"Don't 'what' me, Catherine… I was concerned this would happen."

"Nothing's happened, Conrad… Now, did you need me on a work-related matter?" she asked, moving round the desk and sitting down; focussing her eyes on the papers she shifted on the desk rather than on him.

He sat opposite her, folding his hands in front of him. "I came here for this."

His cryptic answer surprised her and she looked up. "To confuse me?"

"No… To see how you're dealing with Grissom leaving… I take it you found the message I left with Natasha."

Sudden panic caused Catherine's heart rate to increase. "Message?"

"Yes. Grissom called to say he had to leave and had been unable to reach you. As I was here to speak to Warrick the message came to me… If you haven't read it, and he couldn't reach you… how did you know he's gone?"

Guilt starting to spread outwards from her aching heart, Catherine ignored his question to ask her own. "Did he say why he had to leave?"

She was already dreading the words that would form Conrad's reply.

"His mother had a stroke and was taken into – "

He didn't need to finish his sentence. Catherine dropped her head into her hands with a muffled scream, then pushed herself away from the desk, standing and beginning to pace.

"Why the hell can't I think logically when it comes to him?" she exclaimed angrily.

Conrad was out of his seat, and standing in front of her, concern across his features. "Catherine. Calm down. You're not making sense."

She stopped walking, let out a heavy sigh and explained. "I saw Gil at the airport, in line to check-in. That's how I know he's gone… And because I love to jump to conclusions I assumed it was because we had an argument yesterday and I didn't give him chance to explain. I even doubted whether or not he was going to bother – and I didn't stick around long enough to find out… God! I am a horrible person."

Conrad stepped closer and gently placed his hands on Catherine's shoulders. "Catherine, look at me," he said, repeating it until she actually did it. "You are not a horrible person. You had no way of knowing what had happened. And given how much he hurt you in the past, it sounds like your reaction was only natural."

"That does not excuse the look I gave him… And he has known me long enough to know exactly what it meant."

"Then go to San Francisco and apologise."

Her eyes widened at his suggestion. "Just turn up? Like he doesn't have enough to deal with. I am the last person he would want to see."

"I doubt that… When you got shot, who was the only other person, except for Lindsey and your Mom, that you wanted by your side?"

She remained silent.

"And when Lindsey left for New York, who did you wish was here for you to talk to, and to keep you company?"

"I never said any of that," she pointed out.

"No you didn't. We've never talked about Grissom, at all, in all the time that we've been friends. I made a concerted effort not to mention him because I knew you didn't want to hear it – and that isn't because you hate him. If you hated him you'd have wanted to vent and call him names at every given opportunity… But you didn't. You shut him away completely, and that said everything you didn't… I am glad that we became friends, Catherine, and I'm glad I could stand in for Grissom and look after you, and I'm grateful that you've been there for me through so much. I would certainly not have handled my mother's death very well if it wasn't for you… I most sincerely hope Gil's mother doesn't die… But you should be there for him either way."

"But that look… I was so angry."

"And when you get an opportunity to explain the misunderstanding, he'll understand… I was around you two all those years ago and, despite the fact that you hadn't spoken to each other for years, there was the same chemistry, and the same friendship in the air when I was standing in this office with you both this week."

"But I said things yesterday… I really don't think he'd want me to be with him – "

"Catherine… When you shot Gil the 'death glare', as it's known around here, did he offer the same anger in return?"

She shook her head.

"Did he turn away and ignore you?"

She shook her head again.

"Did he look like he was wondering whether he had time to lose his place in line to come explain to you?"

Catherine dropped her head to Conrad's chest with a long drawn out sigh. "When did you become so insightful?"

He laughed a little and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I learned from the best."

She stepped back and looked at him once again. "Can you spare me for a few days?"

He nodded. "Sure… He shouldn't be alone for this."

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12 NEW!

A/N: No, you're not imagining it. I'm updating this fic!  
A/N2: Thank you to Alza for reading these last two chapters through for me and encouraging me to post them prompimmundo :-)  
A/N3: Thank you everyone who has read this fic since I started it back in July 2005 (eek!). I apologise for the delay in finishing it, but, here now are the concluding chapters. I hope they're worth the wait :-)

Chapter 12

Gil stood outside his mother's hospital room, watching through the window as a nurse checked on her condition and made notes on her chart. He held a cup of coffee in his hand, but, with the persistent churning his stomach was going through, he had no intention of drinking it. Going to the machine had just been something to do: Stretching his legs, and concentrating his thoughts on something else for a few minutes. He felt so helpless just sitting by the bed, a mere spectator as others ensured his mother was comfortable and well looked after. Occasionally he would adjust the blankets on the bed, making sure she was warm. He couldn't even talk to her as he knew family were often encouraged to do with unconscious patients. He did so anyway though, holding her hand against his neck so she would feel the vibrations and know he was there, trying to communicate.

He was vaguely aware of footsteps approaching, and then even more aware that they had stopped. Sensing eyes on him, he glanced to his right ready to politely acknowledge whichever member of the medical staff it was.

He blinked and looked back again, his mind flashing to the day of his operation, when he had been as sure as he was now that the person standing in front of him was an apparition.

"Hi," she spoke quietly.

He turned his body to face her, realising after several seconds that he was just staring at her as if she had suddenly sprouted horns. "Er… hi," he muttered, eventually finding his voice.

"I got your message when I got back to the lab," she stated, and he registered the nervousness in her eyes.

He nodded once. "I tried your cell, but…"

"I forgot to pick it up when I left for the airport… Lindsey and Andrew have gone back to New York."

"Ah." That explained why she had been there. And why she had looked so disappointed in him.

"How's your mother?" she asked.

Instinctively he looked back through the window, and in his peripheral vision, he saw Catherine step up beside him. "She's still unconscious. They'll know more about her condition when she wakes up… How's Lindsey?"

"She's pregnant."

His head whipped round to face her, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't you dare call me Grandma!" she warned with a smile.

He laughed a little and grinned mischievously. "Oh there'll be plenty of time for that."

He watched her carefully, hoping she would read the deeper meaning to his words, the promise that he would be in her life in the future. She met his eyes and smiled, and he knew they were going to be okay.

"Thank you," he told her, "For being here."

Echoing her actions all those years ago, she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He returned the embrace, holding her close to him with his free hand, and relaxed into the feeling of no longer being alone to deal with this.

"You should be advised," she whispered to him after a minute or so of silence, "That some of the hospital staff may think I'm your wife… They're very strict here aren't they, on who they let through to see their patients?"

He chuckled briefly, completely unsurprised that Catherine would just blatantly lie in order to get in. "If anyone asks, I'll keep up the charade," he promised her.

"Thanks." He felt her nod against his shoulder. "I'd hate to be escorted out by those well-toned security men I saw on the way in."

He laughed again and held her even tighter, so grateful that she was there with him. "I'm sorry, Cath," he whispered.

"Not now."

"But I need you to know – "

"I do… And I'm sorry too… But all that's for another time and place. All that matters now is that your Mom gets well." She pulled back from him and looked up at his face. "Should we go join her?"

He nodded. "She'll be glad you're here. She likes you."

"It's been a long time since I last saw her," Catherine reminded him as he held the door open for her and she walked past him into the room.

"You've not changed," he smiled. "Although, as soon as she wakes up we should tell her you're going to be a Grandma. She'll find that very amusing."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she sat down on the chair she had pulled up to position beside his. "Laugh all you like," she retorted. "Seeing as I'm your wife, that makes you a Grandfather!"

"Oh that'll definitely amuse her," he laughed, sitting down and taking his mother's hand in his, gently raising it to his neck. "Hey, Mom," he said, "Catherine's come to visit…"

TBC…


	13. Epilogue NEW!

Epilogue

"You've cleaned that once," Gil's voice uttered in her ear as his arms wrapped round her waist from behind.

"I needed something to do," she explained, her hand still moving the cloth over the work surface. "I couldn't keep up with the conversation our mothers are having, I think they're discussing names, but I couldn't be sure. I can't believe how fast Mom picked up Sign Language… But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Any opportunity to gossip."

Gil's laugh reverberated through her spine and his right hand reached out to rest on top of hers, stilling her cleaning. "We should make the most of this moment alone… It could be the last one we get for a while."

Admitting that he was right, she smiled and turned in his arms so she could face him. "That's true… It's about to get rather crowded round here. You'd be amazed how much space a tiny little baby can take up."

He nodded, strengthening his hold on her body. "Are you ready for this, Grandma?"

She grinned. "I am if you are, Grandpa."

"I think we can handle it," he stated.

She laughed. "I'd say we can… We've survived living with those two," she said nudging her head in the general direction of the door to indicate the two women sitting in the living room, "we can survive a newborn baby."

She saw the change in his demeanour as it happened, and without him taking his eyes off hers, his hand found her left arm, his thumb stroking over the scar left by the bullet years ago.

"Gil," she said, knowing what he was thinking.

"We've survived even worse," he said quietly.

"Stop it!" she ordered softly, placing her hand over his in much the same way he had done to stop her cleaning.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, turning his hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

"Don't be. Just stop feeling guilty… I'm here. And you're here… It just took us a long time to get to where we're supposed to be."

"Marry me?" he asked before she had even finished speaking.

She smiled demurely and said, "That's not necessary."

"No," he agreed, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss each of her knuckles ever so gently, "But it might be nice."

She laughed and snuggled herself closer to his body. "We'll see how nice you think it is after our grandson has kept us awake for a few weeks."

"And if I still think it's nice?" he asked quietly, letting her hand go so she could settle it round his back, and his could weave into her hair.

"Then I'll marry you," she told him softly, tilting her head to accept his approaching kiss. "But," she added, teasingly, before he could make contact, and he stopped and looked at her impatiently, "only if you get a ring and ask me properly. I've waited over twenty-five years for this, and I gotta tell you it was a bit of a – " The end of her utterance was lost into a squeal as he pushed her backwards, pinning her between him and the cupboards behind her, before his lips crashed into hers.

He kissed her until her legs would no longer support her and she moaned into his mouth. "You are cruel!" she told him when he pulled away.

"What?" he asked, innocently. "I had to stop. Our grandson will be arriving soon, there isn't time for this."

She narrowed her eyes at him, summoning the 'death glare' and then lightly punched his arm when he seemed to think the opening of the front door gave him the right to grin boastingly.

"Hey!" he protested, following her into the hall.

Her mind was already elsewhere though, as she stood beside Lindsey and Andrew and looked down at the tiny bundle in her daughter's arms.

"Hello again," she whispered to him, as she wrapped an arm round Lindsey.

"Mom, meet William Edward."

"Oh you have a name," Catherine cooed at the sleeping child. "Hello, William."

"Yeah. William after Andrew's father, and Edward after Dad," Lindsey explained.

"And yet it took you so long to come up with it," Catherine teased, giving Lindsey a hug.

By this time, both great-grandmothers had joined the group, and Lily was telling Sylvia of the chosen names. Grissom came to stand beside Catherine, putting his arm round her waist and baby William opened his eyes and blinked up at his mother.

"Lindsey, he's gorgeous," Gil commented.

"Yes he is," the new mom smiled. "William, these are some of your grandparents, and your great-grandparents," she told her son. "And this is where we are going to be living..."

Catherine looked up at Gil as Lindsey acknowledged him as part of the family in the same way she had been doing. He held her tighter and placed a soft kiss to her forehead as Lindsey concluded the introductions with:

"Welcome home."

THE END


End file.
